2023 - 2024 NBA changes

[tBBP]

Let me see if I can help make it make sense...

 

 

I'm sure we all know this is where it all started. Back in '89, had anyone confused this with the Dallas Mavericks (as young me often did), they could easily be forgiven. That said, those Wolves teams were just not all that memorable until Stephon Marbury and Kevin Garnett showed up. Sure, they had some notable players--like JR Rider and Sam Mitchell--but the teams themselves were rather forgettable. Then came the '97 refresh, which brought us a muted tone of blue, the introduction of black, a wacky new font even by today's standards (which I personally loved and still do), and their most signature element: that tree trim, which was just too perfect for a team named the Timberwolves:

 

 

Call it wacky, call it tacky, call it what you want; I call it fun and memorable. It also coincided with the Wolves' rise to relevance on the back of KG, Starbury--and oh yeah, that other guy pictured above, one Latrell Sprewell. Dang shame those guys could never break through in the postseason during KG's time there. These uniforms gained much distinction, but at the same time lost a lot of green, except in that tree trim (and of course added in black). Every uniform design since then has slid further and further down the scale. Their current primaries--if they can even be considered that--aren't even liked all that by much of the fanbase, from what I could tell during my four years living up there in close proximity to the Twin Cities, especially compared to the throwback versions of the above, the 2022 City edition stuff, and the 2021 City Edition stuff, which I'll come back to.

 

Anyway, all that said, the Wolves' inaugural uniforms hadn't been seen at all until the team decided to *dennisbergan voice* throw 'em back to those sets for present day. And I can see why fans love them. For one, never underestimate the element of nostalgia. Secondly, we're a full generation plus some away from the last time that uniform set was even seen, meaning we got a lot of people walking around who weren't even born while the Wolves still wore those, so I understand why many of them find the throwbacks alluring. Then there's this part: we are also fully and squarely in the days of brighter colors being in vogue, and if you look around the landscape of sports right now, the only other team that sports royal blue and kelly green as a primary colorway is the Vancouver Canucks, so the Wolves throwbacks also provide at least a somewhat unique colorway. (And before anyone tries it, yes I know the Seattle Seahawks rolled out their pre-'02 throwbacks last season.)

 

All of that being said (*opinion piece incoming*), I believe, if the Wolves really wanted to, they can marry up the most distinctive elements of their looks over the years and devise a signature look that can last. I look at the Miami Heat as a benchmark...for the most part they've kept the same look since the late '90s. It may not be the fanciest primary look, but at least they've stuck to it. If I were to throw out a vote for the Wolves, I could go with either their current throwbacks, or something based more on their 2021 Mixtape sets:

 

 

 

 

Now with this, I think there are things they could definitely do to "tone it down" just a tad--namely removing the extra outline on the blues--but this uniform brings out that beautiful royal blue and bright kelly green. I can take or leave the navy backs of those, but I personally love that quirk of those uniforms...very reminiscent of the split backs of the Vince Carter Raptors uniforms. (They'd defintiely have to tone down the blend effects between the two colors, though, because with the tree trim and I guess "tree" font, it definitely becomes distracting.)

 

Anyway, if I had a vote in the matter, I'd streamline the mixtape sets, devise a white set to match, and let it be what it be forevermore. But that's just one man's opinion...my two rusted Lincolns.

[The_Admiral]

The kelly green never looked that vibrant in action, though.

 

 

These suck the exact same way the Seahawks throwbacks suck and lots of people here go nuts for those too. In both cases, navy blue and neon green look much better together.

 

 

[pepis21]

22 hours ago, who do you think said:

 

After the garbage he pulled, Toronto retiring Vince Carter's number would be one of the most spineless moves an NBA franchise has ever made. Might as well suggest the Celtics retire Kyrie's number.

Trade to Nets was almost 20 years ago and in this case time heal wounds. Comparsion to Kyrie is missed, because let's be real Vince put Toronto on a map, made Raptors famous, save them from sharing same fate as Grizzlies. He is also responsible for basically all Canadians who are in a league right now and following that for a bronze medal in last World Cup. Kyrie compare to him was just an another player who played for Celtics.

[who do you think]

15 hours ago, tBBP said:

 

Say what now???

 

And um, yeah, most of Toronto got over all of that nearly a decade ago:

 

Aside from him singlehandedly putting the Raptors on the basketball map, think of all the Canadian hoopers that followed VC's time in Toronto. If that ain't enough of a reason to retire the man's number, I don't know what else is. 

 

 

You people are out of your minds. You think Vince Carter is the reason basketball is played in Canada? This is Canada we're talking about, not Turkmenistan or some previously uncontacted jungle people. It's right next to the United States. Toronto has been a major Great Lakes city since such a concept existed. Plenty of culture spillover. They (briefly) had a team before in the old BAA (NBA forerunner league). Basketball very much existed there before and still would have without Wince Carter being a glorified Ricky Davis.

 

Also, Raptors game-day entertainment, the oblivious rich kids who still go to NBA games, and broccoli-headed zoomies on social media who've never heard of Alvin Williams or Mo Peterson =/= most of Toronto. People who were old enough in 2005 to have an opinion on the matter despise him, and rightfully so. He set their franchise back years by demanding a trade and then immediately killing his own trade value and never did anything of note while he was there besides throw down some meaningless dunks and jet-lag himself before Game 7 of the Sixers series so he could do his UNC graduation walk.

 

15 hours ago, Old School Fool said:

 

I associate the Toronto with Vince Carter more than any other place he played in. I remember as a kid when he came in and it instantly made the Raptors the coolest team in the NBA even though my favorite team is the Lakers. I even sent mail to the Raptors as a kid and they mailed me back a postcard with Dee Brown's autograph on it.

 

Cool story. I associate Wince Carter with being a selfish disappointment and a net negative on the game.

 

3 hours ago, pepis21 said:

Trade to Nets was almost 20 years ago and in this case time heal wounds. Comparsion to Kyrie is missed, because let's be real Vince put Toronto on a map, made Raptors famous, save them from sharing same fate as Grizzlies. He is also responsible for basically all Canadians who are in a league right now and following that for a bronze medal in last World Cup. Kyrie compare to him was just an another player who played for Celtics.

 

This is crap. The Grizzlies moved because they were atrociously run by one of Stern's league office stooges and Vancouver - besides being just a worse market to begin with - was far more sensitive to the Canadian dollar problem (the same one that pushed out the Jets and Nordiques) than Toronto. The original owners were determined to sell the team and nobody local was interested, therefore they moved. Glorified Ricky Davis wouldn't have saved them. The similarly shameful Steve Francis wouldn't have saved them either had he not demanded out before his tenure there even began.

 

Again, Canada isn't Mars. And some good being "on the map" (whatever that means in this case) did for the Raptors in the decade that passed in between Wince scurrying off to Jersey (in exchange for an old center who just got a kidney transplant and two Mattress Firm delivery guys, because he quit on the franchise and tanked his trade value and his team's leverage, but yeah sure reward that and retire his number!), and them unearthing Kyle Lowry and Valanciunas actually getting good for the first time. They were a piss-poor, borderline radioactive franchise in the interim and I still wouldn't say they're quite "on the map" considering Kawhi Leonard probably never even unpacked his suitcase in the one season he played there before bolting in free agency.

[tBBP]

1 hour ago, who do you think said:

Cool story. I associate Wince Carter with being a selfish disappointment and a net negative on the game.

 

Yeah you just told on yourself there, bruh. 

[Old School Fool]

1 hour ago, who do you think said:

 

You people are out of your minds. You think Vince Carter is the reason basketball is played in Canada? This is Canada we're talking about, not Turkmenistan or some previously uncontacted jungle people. It's right next to the United States. Toronto has been a major Great Lakes city since such a concept existed. Plenty of culture spillover. They (briefly) had a team before in the old BAA (NBA forerunner league). Basketball very much existed there before and still would have without Wince Carter being a glorified Ricky Davis.

 

Also, Raptors game-day entertainment, the oblivious rich kids who still go to NBA games, and broccoli-headed zoomies on social media who've never heard of Alvin Williams or Mo Peterson =/= most of Toronto. People who were old enough in 2005 to have an opinion on the matter despise him, and rightfully so. He set their franchise back years by demanding a trade and then immediately killing his own trade value and never did anything of note while he was there besides throw down some meaningless dunks and jet-lag himself before Game 7 of the Sixers series so he could do his UNC graduation walk.

 

 

Cool story. I associate Wince Carter with being a selfish disappointment and a net negative on the game.

 

 

This is crap. The Grizzlies moved because they were atrociously run by one of Stern's league office stooges and Vancouver - besides being just a worse market to begin with - was far more sensitive to the Canadian dollar problem (the same one that pushed out the Jets and Nordiques) than Toronto. The original owners were determined to sell the team and nobody local was interested, therefore they moved. Glorified Ricky Davis wouldn't have saved them. The similarly shameful Steve Francis wouldn't have saved them either had he not demanded out before his tenure there even began.

 

Again, Canada isn't Mars. And some good being "on the map" (whatever that means in this case) did for the Raptors in the decade that passed in between Wince scurrying off to Jersey (in exchange for an old center who just got a kidney transplant and two Mattress Firm delivery guys, because he quit on the franchise and tanked his trade value and his team's leverage, but yeah sure reward that and retire his number!), and them unearthing Kyle Lowry and Valanciunas actually getting good for the first time. They were a piss-poor, borderline radioactive franchise in the interim and I still wouldn't say they're quite "on the map" considering Kawhi Leonard probably never even unpacked his suitcase in the one season he played there before bolting in free agency.

 

What did Vince Carter do to you, man? Did he on your doorstep or something?

[who do you think]

Two replies, zero arguments. k.

[Lights Out]

11 hours ago, pepis21 said:

He is also responsible for basically all Canadians who are in a league right now

 

I'd have a hard time giving Vince more credit for that than actual Canadians like Steve Nash, or the literal inventor of the sport, James Naismith.

 

Regardless, you shouldn't get to treat a franchise the way Vince did on his way out and still be honored by them. Especially when they won one playoff series with him and nothing else. The NBA has a huge problem with teams and their fanbases being treated like doormats for the players' egos, and this would just reinforce the problem.

 

I'm not a Vince hater, but... throwing a tantrum because the Raptors wouldn't hire Dr. J as GM, telling the Raptors' opponents which plays they were about to run during games, making a big show of refusing to dunk anymore for the home crowd - he went out of his way to make his departure from Toronto as messy as possible and it's just not the kind of behavior that should be rewarded. Maybe if he had returned to Toronto later in his career, it would make more sense.

[Lights Out]

8 hours ago, who do you think said:

The Grizzlies moved because they were atrociously run by one of Stern's league office stooges and Vancouver - besides being just a worse market to begin with - was far more sensitive to the Canadian dollar problem (the same one that pushed out the Jets and Nordiques) than Toronto.

 

The real reason the Grizzlies moved is because they were screwed out of the Tim Duncan lottery by the ass-backwards rule at the time that blocked recent expansion teams from getting the #1 pick for a certain number of years. There was just no recovering from that. Granted, they still might have lost that lottery without that rule, but not even giving them a chance after suffering through the worst team in the league is the last thing any league in their right mind would want to do when they're trying to establish themselves in a new market.

[SFGiants58]

10 minutes ago, Lights Out said:

 

he went out of his way to make his departure from Toronto as messy as possible and it's just not the kind of behavior that should be rewarded. Maybe if he had returned to Toronto later in his career, it would make more sense.

Eh, it’s water under the bridge at this point and it seems many of the fans have forgiven him. Holding a grudge against a player for more than 20 years isn’t healthy. If Pittsburgh can honor Jagr, I don’t see why the Raptors shouldn’t eventually honor Carter. 

[pepis21]

3 hours ago, Lights Out said:

Maybe if he had returned to Toronto later in his career, it would make more sense.

There was a chance for that back in early 2018, but Raptors didn't want him and it was another chance in early 2019, but Raptors prefered Lin over Vince.  In both occasion Carter was very open to return to Toronto.

[SCL]

 

19 hours ago, tBBP said:

All of that being said (*opinion piece incoming*), I believe, if the Wolves really wanted to, they can marry up the most distinctive elements of their looks over the years and devise a signature look that can last. I look at the Miami Heat as a benchmark...for the most part they've kept the same look since the late '90s. It may not be the fanciest primary look, but at least they've stuck to it. If I were to throw out a vote for the Wolves, I could go with either their current throwbacks, or something based more on their 2021 Mixtape sets:

 

 

 

 

Now with this, I think there are things they could definitely do to "tone it down" just a tad--namely removing the extra outline on the blues--but this uniform brings out that beautiful royal blue and bright kelly green. I can take or leave the navy backs of those, but I personally love that quirk of those uniforms...very reminiscent of the split backs of the Vince Carter Raptors uniforms. (They'd defintiely have to tone down the blend effects between the two colors, though, because with the tree trim and I guess "tree" font, it definitely becomes distracting.)

 

Anyway, if I had a vote in the matter, I'd streamline the mixtape sets, devise a white set to match, and let it be what it be forevermore. But that's just one man's opinion...my two rusted Lincolns.

The mixtape is a top uniform in Wolves history and should be the basis for a new set as you said.

[The_Admiral]

The signal-to-noise ratio is off in that post, but I totally agree that you can't attribute the rise of basketball in Canada to a guy doing cool dunks on go-nowhere teams during the NBA's dark period from about 20 years ago. Michael Jordan had more to do with Canada embracing the NBA than Vince Carter did.

[The_Admiral]

3 hours ago, Lights Out said:

The real reason the Grizzlies moved is because they were screwed out of the Tim Duncan lottery by the ass-backwards rule at the time that blocked recent expansion teams from getting the #1 pick for a certain number of years. There was just no recovering from that. Granted, they still might have lost that lottery without that rule, but not even giving them a chance after suffering through the worst team in the league is the last thing any league in their right mind would want to do when they're trying to establish themselves in a new market.

 

Canucks ownership was dysfunctional and in over their heads (e.g., the whole Mark Messier/Mike Keenan/Trevor Linden fiasco concurrent with the Grizzlies being dumb and bad), so they sold the team to a guy whose plan was always to move them. Toronto overcame the same dumb rules, after all.

 

I'm not sure Memphis is really built to last as an NBA town, so maybe a move back to the ol' Chinese money-laundering scheme that thinks it's a city is still possible.

[projectjohn]

The Pistons are using horizonal NOB today for the 20th anniversary celebration of their 2004 championship, proving it is possible on the Nike template. I wish they'd go back to it full-time.

 

 

[kimball]

2 hours ago, projectjohn said:

The Pistons are using horizonal NOB today for the 20th anniversary celebration of their 2004 championship, proving it is possible on the Nike template. I wish they'd go back to it full-time.

 

 

 

20 years? Oy. I feel old. That feels like yesterday.

[projectjohn]

28 minutes ago, kimball said:

 

20 years? Oy. I feel old. That feels like yesterday.

Don't remind me, especially in light of the disaster the Pistons have been for the last 15 years..

[TheRealPepman]

On 3/17/2024 at 1:09 PM, projectjohn said:

The Pistons are using horizonal NOB today for the 20th anniversary celebration of their 2004 championship, proving it is possible on the Nike template. I wish they'd go back to it full-time.

 

 

I wish they flipped the red and blue side panels on the uniform. I have no idea why Nike flipped the order in 2017 in the first place.

[projectjohn]

12 hours ago, TheRealPepman said:

I wish they flipped the red and blue side panels on the uniform. I have no idea why Nike flipped the order in 2017 in the first place.

That is indeed the classic historical look but for some reason the change never bothered me too much. It improved the color balance on the front side of the jersey IMO.

[Lights Out]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:30 AM, Lights Out said:

They absolutely will as long as they can milk money from it. The Steelers/Ravens Wednesday game a few years ago got 10 million viewers. The Cowboys/Giants Wednesday game in 2012 got 22 million. It's only a matter of time.

 

Turns out I was being generous by calling it "a matter of time." It's happening this year.